


i’m pretty sure the world is out to get me

by bellamyblakru



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: AND no agravaine bc i dislike him a lot, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Canon Era, Caring Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), De-Aged Merlin, Everyone Loves Merlin (Merlin), F/F, Good Morgana (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Kid Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), OKAY and will is alive LOL i want happiness, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Knights (Merlin), actually canon who ?? this doesnt follow any canon from the show tbh if i want it then its here oops, all mistakes are my own!!, bc i love canon era, but when he grown they love each other ofc, fluff too, gwen and arthur were never a thing but they are good pals, i guess between season three and four but no more uther, i love that tag omg, i think it’ll get a lil sad/dark with lil merlin so thats why its teens and up now, ive always wanted to write one of these, no underage shit here, okay i might add more tags as i go along but i give up for rn, oo and i curse occasionally
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25338628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellamyblakru/pseuds/bellamyblakru
Summary: there will be rogue druids, a de-aged kid!merlin, protective knights, a confused arthur and a magic reveal, so if you like that stuff, it’ll be here eventually.
Relationships: (minor again though), (minor though), Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Gwen/Morgana (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon
Comments: 86
Kudos: 464
Collections: Numerous OTPS Infinite Fandoms





	1. rogue

Merlin had heard the rumors of some rogue Druids going around Camelot searching for the prophesied Emrys, but he was honestly too busy today to really focus on the threat. He has heard it so many times by now. “I’ll look into later,” he promised to Gaius that morning, but soon forgot about it when the King asked him to do another task.

This time, however, the threat was real. The leaders of the group, one who they called Nara, went undercover to find and, ultimately, kill him. They knew he was close to the king, but the faithful Druids, who knew the true name of Emrys, refused to give him up. _Pathetic,_ Nara thought while sneering, _as if a boy could hardly be enough to save magic._

The banished group consisted of ten people—all having different degrees and specialties in magic. A few were elementals, some were good with defensive magic, and the rest, like Nara, were good with offensive magic. None were good at potions, so they left that task to Nara’s second-in-command, her brother, Calore. He had the most potential for making potions correctly, so he was in charge of the first attack against Emrys—step one, find out who he is, step two, attack without drawing attention, step three, if step two doesn’t work, reconfigure plan. 

That wasn’t the best plan, but Nara wanted their chances of survival to outweigh their chance of dying—brutally, if Emrys’s power is to be believed.

Step two of their plan, attacking unheard, was to be drawn out after finding him. Since he was close to the king, they first looked in the lower town for anyone who supplied the King himself. The royal tailor’s house, then where the kitchens receive their ingredients, then to the blacksmith’s home (where it was rumored that the King preferred getting his weapons instead of the one provided for him in the castle). After talking to a lovely girl named Guinevere, or Gwen as she kept insisting, they were able to get jobs working for the kitchens for tonight’s banquet (Gwen promised that she could get jobs for them). This was perfect for them, since they figured they could feel Emrys when he entered the room and a banquet would be the best place to find him. 

They went to work that afternoon, working with the kitchen staff until the time of the hall opened for them to attend the lords who arrived that morning. The new lords in town were no one of true importance, but the King wanted to maintain their healthy alliance and trade with them—and a banquet in their honor would do the trick. 

The kitchen was buzzing with activity. Nara and Cal tried to stay together but were set to work on different sides of the palace. Nara was preparing the hall while Cal helped with the food preparation. During this time, neither one could feel Emrys, so they decided—through their single telepathy that the siblings possessed—to join up before the start of the night to search for Emrys together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter is a little boring🥺 i have to set it up before getting into the angsty kid merlin stuff (i think in next chapter it will happen)!
> 
> if you have any ideas or things you want me to add, im totally open for suggestions (on tumblr im @bellamyblakru too).
> 
> (title from linkin park’s heavy)
> 
> this will be my first muti-chapter fic, so lets do itt


	2. retrospective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> merlin's childhood, his friendship with morgana, and why arthur is being a prat

Merlin was having a horrendous day. No, scratch that, he was having a horrendous week.

Not only was Arthur making him do his normal work, but he also told him he needed to do whatever was asked of him to prepare the banquet tonight--so he was on overdrive. Merlin would have helped everyone anyway if they asked, but that wasn’t the point. Arthur was driving him crazy. He wouldn’t respond to any of Merlin’s attempts at bantering lately, he overworked Merlin from dusk to dawn without any thank you’s, and he was being short with Merlin...and Merlin couldn’t figure out, for the life of him, why he was acting this way. 

The night before, Merlin actually tried to think back on anything that would make Arthur act this way towards him and came up with nothing. Things had been good since Arthur was crowned: Camelot was prospering, their relationship had been in a good place, he had all his knights at his side,--slowly becoming the “Knights of the Round Table” (which Merlin came up with)--Morgana and Gwen were still going strong, just like Percy and Gwaine, and Arthur seemed happy.

Thinking about Morgana and Gwen made Merlin think back to when Morgana and him truly started being friends. It was definitely when Merlin decided to tell Morgana about his magic and what her nightmares meant after they rescued Mordred. It was the best choice he had ever made. After explaining why he was so hesitant at first, Morgana completely understood. Living in secret your entire life was not an easy habit to break, and Morgana could see that--especially breaking the habit for someone living under Uther.

Merlin’s childhood made for a paranoid, terrified adult. Hunith had good intentions, of course, but she did some accidental psychological damage to her poor, unknowing child. Explaining his gifts as something to hide, to not show the world because it can kill you instantly, suppressing magic (which would physically hurt him) to the point of trying to be “normal” like the people around him, and then sending him to the one place in the world that despises magic more than anything once she found out that someone else in his life accepted and appreciated Merlin’s talent for something other than a special gift that no one should ever see..well, you get the point. Her parenting almost seemed to be a paradox. “My son is special, but I wish he wasn’t” is not the mentality a child should grow up with. He internalized his mother’s fear for almost two decades, and it was not an easy choice to just simply tell Morgana. Merlin _was_ magic, he wasn’t just “special,” and this difference was hard to come to terms with.

Nature became his escape place when he accidentally did magic in front of his mother, who would tell him to be more careful and to try to stop the magic the next time, and nature embraced him back. The trees would sing gently to him when he would cry and talk about wanting to be “normal,” and they would continue singing until Merlin was calm once more. _Normal...What a horrid word_ , the trees thought. They would try to show Merlin that he was perfect just the way he was. They sang to him, explaining that he should love himself for who he was, and to not want to be what other people wanted him to be. Their lullabies would help Merlin throughout his entire childhood, and they would calm his nightmares every time he came to them.

Being with Will and the trees, away from his mother, helped Merlin finally think for himself. With Will’s help, he could finally see someone liking him for who he truly was, magic and all, and because of nature softly singing to him, Merlin was able to see past his mother’s parenting later on in life. Magic came as easily as breathing for him. Merlin needed someone, like Will, to understand that being magic wasn’t a choice, and to realize that he shouldn't want to become anyone he wasn't. It was who he was at his core, and his mother made it hard for him to understand it for himself. Being magic was a beautiful thing, and he is still slowly coming to terms with it. 

His fear for Morgana’s well-being ultimately outweighed his fear for himself that had been growing steadily ever since he first opened his golden eyes as a baby. He is still not okay, but he was working it out with Morgana's help now too, instead of against her. 

They help each other grow, and Merlin was right: she did understand what it felt like to be alone and terrified of who they were (not that Gaius agrees with his decision, but that's a different story).

Going back to why Arthur was treating him so poorly, Merlin came up with the idea that maybe being King finally caught up with him, so Merlin decided to take it in stride. His purpose was to help Arthur be the best he could be, so maybe laying off for a little while would help. Merlin missed Arthur though, and anyone could tell by looking at him when he thought no one watching.

Arthur was the only one who could ever get a genuine laugh or smile out of Merlin, not that anyone could tell the difference between the facade Merlin puts up versus his true self (besides Arthur himself). _Arthur doesn’t care if you’re happy,_ Merlin tried to remind himself getting ready for the banquet, _he is a king and you are a servant, stop brooding._ He didn't stop.

~~~

Arthur missed Merlin and everyone, besides Merlin himself, could tell. He was having a difficult time lately hiding his feelings for Merlin, so he wanted to put some distance between them. He knew Merlin didn’t feel the same way. _How can he?_ His brain added unhelpfully, _you keep pushing him away so he wouldn’t have the chance to feel for you._ Arthur sighed, that thought sounded oddly like Morgana's voice. He did push people away. He honestly couldn’t help it, with the way he grew up. He wasn't good at feelings and emotions, and Morgana obviously relished in reminding him of that daily. She had been especially rude to him lately, and Arthur knows it is because of how he has been treating Merlin. Thanks to a lovely argument with Morgana this morning, however, he realized that he needed to apologize to Merlin, and quickly, before Morgana gutted him in his sleep. _Tomorrow,_ he promised to himself, _I’ll try tomorrow to make it up to him after this banquet is over with._

_~~~_

After getting dressed, both boys went to the hall, and the night finally started. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sigh next chapter will ft a kid merlin eventually, i promise. i needed to set it up more to make sense of how kid merlin will behave and such. 
> 
> ALSO, no real hate for hunith i swear!! it was just the more i thought about it, and writing about it, the more i realized that merlin had to truly pay for her way of parenting oops
> 
> also, dont you just love good morgana?? i do. she is a queen and canonically deserved better (which is why fanfic is such a beautiful thing). 
> 
> let me know if you have any suggestions or thoughts (here or on tumblr @bellamyblakru would be vv cool), if you want to of course!! i would love to hear them :') thank you for reading


	3. ruse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> step one and two

Nara and Cal stiffened the minute Merlin walked into the room—right on Arthur’s heels, like always.

Cal’s eyes widened, “It’s that scrawny kid on the King’s side?” Nara frowned and shook her head, “no, that can’t be right” and grabbed her brother’s arm towards Guinevere--who was attending the Lady Morgana, but the Lady was currently walking towards the King.

“Hello Gwen! How are you?” Nara asked with false enthusiasm, not that anyone knew the difference, and Gwen beamed. 

“Nara, Calore! It's lovely to see you two again. I am well. I hope the staff has been treating you well? Hopefully the knights weren’t annoying the cook today, I know first hand how painful Mary can hit with that spoon of hers,” she chuckled, rambling on.

“Everyone is extremely courteous,” Cal said, a little stiff, _and no one suspects a thing_ he thought to Nara, with a small smirk on his face.

“The knights didn’t show up for us, though I’m sure the spectacle would have been fun to watch,” Nara said, smiling sweetly at Gwen, and Cal was impressed. Nara is much better at fake niceties than he was, and he didn’t know whether he was jealous or concerned about that fact.

“Although we did have a question, if you aren’t too busy?” Nare looked positively concerned— _impressive,_ Cal sent to her, and she didn’t even bat an eye at him.

“Of course, what’s wrong?” Gwen immediately looked ready to fight someone who may have hurt them, and it was hard to not find it endearing. 

That got a true smile out of the siblings, and Nara pointed over to where the Lady Morgana and the King were addressing a small group of people: “That man next to King Arthur, with the black hair and scrappy clothing, would you mind telling us his name? I wanted to ask him a question about his job here, but I figured I should find out his name first.” 

“Oh!” Gwen grinned, “that’s the King’s manservant and the court physician’s apprentice, Merlin. He’s one of my best friends, actually! Would you like me to call him over to introduce you two?”

Cal’s smile dropped a fraction, but Nara opened her eyes in faint amusement. Nara thought to Cal, _The greatest warlock to ever walk the earth is a servant, and they call us deranged,_ and her smile only grew. Cal had no response to that. 

“That would be lovely! Would you mind?” Cal didn’t know what Nara was going to say to him, so he just faintly nodded along with her question.

“Not at all. I have to go back to Lady Morgana, but I’ll send him over. Thank you again for working tonight! I greatly appreciated it.”

Nara smiled at her in thanks, and turned to Cal the minute Gwen went off. “Do you have the potion?” she asked quickly and continued with, “you should accidentally pour it on him, then he would have to leave, and the poison would have enough time to hit his skin before he could change.” Cal’s mouth twitched up, “sounds good, but you lead the talking.”

Merlin felt off the second he walked in. He looked around, but he didn’t know who the feeling was coming from. He felt some magic in the room, mostly from Morgana, but sometimes new servants also possessed some magic without even realizing they do. He shrugged it off and blamed it on the lack of sleep worrying about the Arthur Situation. The King and the Lady Morgana were now talking to some lords about something Merlin could care less about when Gwen arrived. 

“Merlin!” She hugged him tightly, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in so long.”

Merlin laughed softly, feeling a little better, “Gwen. You saw me this morning, remember? We talked about the new rumors going around the castle?”

Gwen shoved his shoulder playfully, “I know, I know, I still missed you.”

Merlin couldn’t help but smile at her. He was lucky to have Gwen in his life, and he knew it. 

“OH! Before I forget, we had two new arrivals to help us prepare for tonight and they wanted to talk to you! They are just over there,” she points behind her, “they said they are just curious about what you do for the castle.”

 _That’s strange_ , _they could ask anyone_ Merlin thought, but shrugged and said “thank you Gwen. I’ll go see what they want.” He gave her one last smile, and walked towards the newcomers.

Merlin felt the funny feeling from earlier increase the closer he got to them. _Hm, maybe they have magic that they don’t know about_ , at least Merlin hoped they didn’t know. He didn’t want to deal with some Druids bowing down in public.

Politely, with a small smile, he asked, “Hello, Gwen said you wanted to ask me something? May I ask who I am talking to? I don’t believe I have seen you guys around Camelot, and I feel like I have met everyone here.”

“I am Nara, and the tall one is my brother, Calore. We are from an outlying village, just south of Camelot, which is probably why you haven’t seen us.” Nara shrugged one shoulder continuing, “I was just wondering what you do around Camelot? You seem pretty popular, judging, at least, from how everyone talked to you the minute you arrived in the hall.” She aimed to sound nonchalant, but to Cal’s ears it sounds extremely forced. Merlin tilted his head, almost like a confused puppy, “Oh I wouldn’t say I’m popular...”

Before he could continue, however, Cal wanted this to end, so he faked a bad step towards someone serving a drink and spilled the potion on Merlin’s entire front.

Merlin blinked down at himself, drenched. _How did that just happen?_ He thought, and he swore that Cal’s step seemed purposefully bad, but he had no valid reason to believe these people wanted to pour something on him. _That would be a dumb thing to do purposely anyways, what would they gain from that? Getting me wet would do nothing. Maybe it was just an accident, and I’m just paranoid like always._ Merlin chuckled then, realizing that Nara and Cal were profusely apologizing to him. “It’s no worries, I promise I have done worse at events like this,” shooing off their concern, “I’ll just go tell the King and get a change of clothes.” They sadly smiled at him, apologized once more, and he went off.

Arthur saw him coming and turned around to address his servant. “What happened to you? Trip over yourself again?” Arthur teased, to which Morgana punched him in the arm. Gwen, however, always the angel, furrowed her brows, said at the same time, “Merlin! Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I came to ask his Royal Pratness if it would be okay for me to retire tonight, or if he wanted me to do anything else?”

Arthur, biting his lip, said, “No, it’s okay. I can handle myself from here. Just go get cleaned off before you get some of that vile stuff on someone else.” Morgana nodded her head at Arthur, for he finally answered in a way she approved, and asked, “Merlin, do you need anything? I can get you some clothes or order you a bath, if you would like?”

“No, no. It’s really okay Morgana, I think I need to rest anyways. I’m not feeling my best.” Merlin managed a small smile for them. Morgana and Gwen hugged him and said that they will check in on him in the morning, while Arthur had already turned around to address the lord of the hour about something boring (although, Arthur was thinking if he should check on Merlin later tonight since he said wasn't feeling well, not that he would tell anyone that out loud).

Merlin quickly left after that, not wanting to be wet any longer. If he turned around, he would have seen Nara and Cal smirking at each other and softly whispering, proud that step two was being fulfilled.

Little did they know that Cal’s potion making ability was so atrocious that he did not make a potion for killing, but instead made a potion filled with too much mandrake root and powered fairy wings and not enough wormwood. This mistake would cost them dearly. 

It would cost Merlin the last fourteen years of his life.

He went to his chambers that night, changed out of his clothes, and into his bed twenty-one summers old. He wakes up, however, seven summers old, with no recollection of where he was and how he got here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dundundunnnn kid merlin is here guys and im hyped to write the next chapter!!
> 
> im so bad at dialogue im so sorry ahh i didnt realize how bad i am at it omg ill try to get better
> 
> also, the potion ingredients are from like the harry potter wiki if you were curious lmfao 
> 
> let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions!! i would love to hear them :')
> 
> thank you so much for reading, it's been vv fun so far. i'll see ya for another chapter tomorrow (hopefully)


	4. run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> little merlin has no idea what's going on

Merlin woke up with a gasp, feeling out of place. The last thing he remembered was helping his mother cook dinner, going over their saying, then her softly singing to him in bed--the usual routine. His magic, of course, reacted instinctively to his abrupt waking and every candle lit up, burning intensely. 

_Where’s momma? Relax Merlin, breathe in, breathe out, don’t show the magic. No one can know, it’s safer that way,_ he repeats the mantra like a second nature by this point. 

He put his feet lightly on the floor, off the unknown bed, terrified that this is what his mother warned him about. _If they ever find out about you, then they will take you away from me, and we don’t want that, right, Merlin?_ He can almost hear her telling him again. He didn’t want to leave momma, so he must be careful. 

His clothes slipped off him, _weird_ , he thought, and tied his shirt under him to fit better. He slowly opened his creaky door and looked out. He could see an old man in the cot in the corner with all these candles lit, and the crowded little room, but no big threats so far. _Maybe they forgot I’m here,_ he hoped, at least. 

He thought that he could find his way out, with his magic of course, when the door to the little room suddenly opened. A tall pretty girl with bright green eyes and a smaller girl with soft, kind brown eyes were walking in, side by side, eyes already on him. _They must not have known the old man was sleeping,_ Merlin thought, stopping short, scared to wake up the man, _but at least these women looked kind enough to not hurt me._

Morgana and Gwen stopped talking once they opened the door to find a lanky little boy, with bright blue eyes and dark black hair, staring wide-eyed at them, petrified. The boy stopped moving when he saw them, so Gwen took the pause to kneel down and whisper, “Hello there, what’s your name? Are you lost? Did you need Gaius?” The man mentioned started stirring at the noise but did not wake up yet. 

Mother would tell him to not talk to strangers, but Merlin couldn’t help himself, she looked so kind. “Merlin, ma’am, my name is Merlin,” he responded quietly, unsure of himself and his guest. 

Morgana gasped loudly. That woke Gaius up, and all the candles burned even brighter as Merlin started backing away from her sudden noise. _Momma said don’t be afraid, you’ll be okay, stay calm,_ Merlin’s thoughts were only of his mother and the trees, as he hit the wall behind him. He desperately wanted to get out, to get to them. Their singing will calm him. He just needs to get out.

Gaius looked up as Morgana started chanting, “no, no, no. It’s okay! We’re not going to hurt you” as the random child ran between them and out the door.

He didn’t know where the outside was, but he trusted his magic to lead him in the right direction. He passed no more than three servants, who didn’t even look at him as he ran. He weaved between archways and passages, trying to avoid making any noise. Eventually, he made it to the courtyard, but he ran right into someone’s legs.

“Woah, where are you going so fast at this hour by yourself?” a tall man with long, dark hair said. The man smelled like faint alcohol, Merlin thought, as he was trying to get around the stranger--the strange man did not let up, though. Merlin was a second from magicking the man away when he heard the women from before run behind them. Merlin couldn’t breathe. He needed to get out, now. 

He doesn’t remember falling to his knees, but when he looks up into the man’s face again, that was now inches away from Merlin’s own, he noticed. _Mother told me to breathe slowly when this happens_ , Merlin remembered her saying one night when he woke up from a nightmare, and he tried to focus on what the man was saying.

“Woah, woah. Take a deep breath for me kid. Yeah, that’s it. Good,” the man smiled at him, “My name is Gwaine, I’m sorry we had to meet this way kid. That is Morgana, by the way, and the other one is Gwen.”

Gwaine. Morgana. Gwen. Merlin tried to catalog each name to their faces. Once his breathing returned to normal, he decided not to move. He didn’t want to show more magic than he already had in front of these people, so being here in the open where it was less likely to flare up obviously was probably his best option. 

“So, your name is Merlin, huh?” Morgana said, sweetly. “Yes ma’am” he whispered back. 

The lady, _Morgana,_ he reminded himself, looked at her companions meaningfully. 

Gwaine looked up at her at that, “Merlin, as in _our_ Merlin? The grown man who wasn't a child a few candle marks ago?” 

“Do you think it’s a coincidence that this Merlin is wearing our Merlin’s shirt, has our Merlin’s exact eye and hair color, and the same ears?” Morgana asked, looking like this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Gwen sputtered, “but how is that possible? Do you think someone did it on purpose? Why would they do this to him?”

Merlin changed his mind during Gwen’s questions about staying still. Not wanting to hear any more of this confusing conversion that he didn’t understand, he quickly took off towards the forest. He was fast, he always was. He always needed to be. Running away from the other kids of his village allowed him to practice his stamina and pacing--he never told his mother how he became so fast, and he doesn’t think he ever would since she seemed so worried already. 

The minute he set off, Gwaine, Morgana, and Gwen were after him once more. “Damn, he’s a fast little bugger,” Gwaine panted as he ran. 

Merlin made it to the tree line and immediately felt better. They were already so calming to him, singing to him, telling him that everything will be okay, and he believed them. Nature wouldn’t lie. It never did to him. The trees overtook his senses, drawing out everything around him.

He sat at the base of one oak tree, leaned back on it, feeling safe. 

The others caught up to him when he took his seat at the tree, and they gasped at what they saw.

His whole body was radiating a soft, golden glow, beautiful in the contrast of darkness around them. It looked like nature was hugging him. He looked so at peace that even Morgana started tearing up after a few seconds.

“He’s like you?” Gwen breathed to Morgana’s left, with her mouth slightly open in quiet surprise. “He’s like me,” Morgana whispered back, staring at Merlin. 

Gwaine fucking knew it. He called it the minute he met the man. _He had to be something otherworldly to be that caring, sweet, and lovable in a world like this_ , Gwaine thought, now satisfied. Morgana being magic was a surprise, but he took it in stride. He’s been to many places and knew that magic was nothing to be scared of (in the right hands, of course, and he could think of no one better than Merlin--Morgana, on the other hand, was iffy, but he could work with it).

Morgana quickly looked at Gwaine, to gauge his reaction and to see if she needed to intervene. But just as she thought, he looked smug--like he figured out the rest of a puzzle. _Well, since they already know,_ Morgana thought, bending down to Merlin. 

“Merlin, can you open your eyes for me?” Morgana asked quietly, afraid to scare him off again.

He did what was asked, feeling safe by the tree’s side, and what he saw was beautiful.

Morgana was holding a little flame, the size of his hand, making shapes out of it. Merlin was amazed, he never saw someone else use magic in such a free, pure way before.

“Where did you learn that?” Merlin asked, not hiding his amazement in his voice.

Morgana laughed a little, “From you, actually. But that’s a long story, let's save that for another time.” 

Merlin looked bewildered, “Is it safe to use magic here?” He could hardly believe it.

Morgana smiled sadly at him, “Not where we are going back to, but you can do some right now, if you would like.”

Merlin’s amazement dropped a little, but at the prospect of doing a little magic in front of someone else was still exciting. “Momma doesn’t like me doing magic outside the house,” he said, however, now upset, “she is afraid that someone will come and take me, so I have to be careful. She tells me to ‘relax, breathe in and out, don’t show the magic.’ Because no one can know, it’s safer that way” he said these words with a little nod of assurance and clarity that no kid his age should know, and it broke their hearts. 

Morgana almost started crying again, but held her tears back. “It’s okay Merlin, we won’t hurt you. You can show some magic if you want” she reassured him, making it clear that they were on his side.

Merlin looked hopeful again and then closed his eyes. He didn’t have a plan, but just simply let the magic loose. He loved doing this when he was alone in the forest at home.

Gwen and Gwaine gasped. The entire forest lit up. Little blue and gold orbs were floating around them, while the rest of the forest looked healthier, greener, and so alive. It was so beautifully magical. 

It was so beautifully Merlin.

It collectively took their breaths away at the sight of pure, unadulterated power. Morgana took a step around, feeling the little lights and the nature that was glowing with Merlin now. She knew he was powerful, but at such a young age? Without knowing any spells or control? It was unfathomable. It was amazing.

Merlin opened his eyes to look at his new friends and saw the wonder and amazement in their eyes. It made him smile. The trees whispered softly to him then, promising that these people meant him no harm. He listened and slowly drew his power back in.

Morgana looked at him then, “Merlin, that was amazing, but if you come back with us, you cannot do that anywhere. Do you understand? It’s not safe for people like us, at least not yet.”

Merlin nodded his head in understanding, hiding was nothing new to him. He trusted that they didn’t want to hurt him, so he gently took Morgana’s hand--already taking a liking to her. 

Gwen smiled at the sight, while Gwaine looked like he just wanted to hold Merlin's other hand to protect him as well.

“Let’s go back and get some rest, we can figure out what happened in the morning. We can tell Arthur, Gaius, and the rest of the knights then too,” Morgana said to them.

They simply nodded at her and walked behind the pair of them, heading towards Camelot. 

Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i hope this was good. i really enjoyed writing this chapter tbh 
> 
> kid merlin is going to be such a little shit and so much fun,, i cant wait to write more
> 
> THANK YOU GUYS FOR READING AND ASKING FOR MORE. its so cool to see people like wanting to read what im writing. its honestly an amazing feeling, you guys rock.
> 
> til tomorrow :')


	5. recognisable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur and co find out what happened to Merlin :)

Arthur, for once, was grateful that Merlin was extremely late--more so than usual. He wasn’t able to check on Merlin last night, because, well, he chickened out (to put it lightly). He wouldn’t have known what to say, he was supporting his third round of mead, and Morgana disappeared before she could hype him up. 

Speaking of, he was on his way to Morgana’s chambers when he noticed mud stains going up to her room to find her door slightly ajar. Arthur, terrified that someone came in the night to attack her, rushed forwards to see if she was okay. 

What he wasn’t expecting was Gwaine sleeping beside the bed, Gaius snoring in the chair in the corner, Morgana and Gwen cuddling a random child between them, and three pairs of muddy shoes near the window. _What did I miss?_

He cleared his throat, loudly, but the only one who opened their eyes was the kid. 

Merlin blinked the sleep out and looked groggily towards the noise he heard.

“Did you bring us food? I’m starving,” he admitted tiredly, “I ran really fast last night and it tired me out and I haven’t eaten in so long.”

Arthur confusedly tilted his head at the child, but he asked the maid coming down the hall to bring enough food for everyone in the room. Arthur realized that they will likely be here awhile, so he told the next servant who came near to clear his schedule for the day and to bring the Round Table knights here—both servants scurried away before he could ask more of them.

Arthur turned back to the kid. “So,” he said, as gently as he could, “who are you exactly?” 

“Oh, I’m Merlin. I got scared last night, but Morgana helped me feel better,” and he smiled at the sleeping Morgana next to him. 

“Your name is Merlin?” Arthur asked, baffled, not quite connecting the dots yet.

“Yes, sir! My mother said ‘the name was special and creative enough for her unique boy,’” he proudly quoted.

“Huh,” Arthur said articulately, “what’s your mother’s name, then?”

“Hunith! I think her name is special too,” Merlin said beaming at Arthur, who took a step back—right into Lancelot. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry, my lord,” Lancelot said quickly, ever the nobleman.

Arthur didn’t reply, but he did step aside to let the rest of the knights, who were in their night clothes, and the food in. Merlin stood up quickly at his excitement of eating, “this is all ours?” Merlin looked awed at the prospect. He didn’t wait for an answer, though, before he started shoving food in his face—almost like he was afraid it would disappear at any moment. 

The rest of the room woke up at the commotion, looking stunned for a minute since the room was abnormally full, but Morgana recovered first. “Good Morning to you too brother,” she groaned, placing her head back on the pillow. Gwen laughed softly at her and left the bed to get food for the both of them—she nodded a polite good morning to the rest of the knights and to Gaius. 

The knights, besides Gwaine, hadn’t moved an inch since the door was shut. All of them were staring at Merlin. His raven hair was disheveled, his blue eyes were bright, his shirt was still tied around, and his feet were a little dirty. He looked suspiciously like their Merlin.

Morgana, reluctantly, lifted herself out of bed to address the silence that had taken over, “Arthur, this is Merlin. Merlin, this is Arthur.” Merlin smiled over to him, blinding even as a child. 

Lancelot walked past the rest of them and came up to Merlin, but looked at Morgana when he spoke: “So this is our Merlin, then? What happened? Does he remember anything?” He looked so concerned for his friend that Morgana softened a little, “Yes, this is him. We don’t know, and no, he does not.” 

For some reason that Arthur didn’t understand, everyone looked over to him when she was saying this. He was confused and said slowly, “Merlin,” Merlin looked back to him, eating another piece of fruit, to show that he was listening, “are you okay? Are you in pain at all?” 

“Arthur,” he mocked, wanting to try the name out, but went back to his normal fast talking, mouth full of food, “I’m feeling well, actually. This food is amazing, where do you farm it? Mother would love this.”

The rest of the knights went to grab some food as well. Percival chose to sit next to Gwaine, who was keeping close to Merlin, Lancelot took Gwaine’s other side, Leon sat next to Gaius, and Elyan went next to Morgana. Arthur still didn't move. 

“Arthur, it’s okay,” Gwen promised, moving behind him on her way back to Morgana’s other side, “we can figure out who did this to him, but first we need to figure out how to handle the situation at hand. And to help him get back to normal again.” Arthur slowly nodded, already missing his Merlin who would normally reassure him when weird things happened. 

Merlin started fidgeting with the bottom of his shirt and looked up shyly at Arthur, “Are you okay with me being here? Morgana said you were in charge, but if you want me gone, I’d understand that too.”

Arthur’s heart broke, “NO!” He said too aggressively and tried to calm himself down, “No, it’s okay Merlin. I’m just missing my Merlin right now, but you can stay here for as long as you want.” Arthur didn’t like being this sappy in front of everyone, but he couldn’t help it. Merlin was adorable. 

Merlin nodded at that, accepting that response. Arthur shook his head, trying to clear it. It didn’t work. He crossed his arms then, aiming to regain some semblance of control, “So, Gaius, what do you think we should do?”

“Sire, if I may, I would like to do more research on age regression. It’s a curious thing, honestly, and not many sorcerers could perform the spell, so I’m guessing, for what little I do understand, is that this was probably the work of a potion.”

Leon spoke up for the first time, “Sorcery? Do you think someone wanted to hurt him?” 

Merlin looked towards Morgana, shrinking back on himself a little, unsure. Morgana, slouching at the topic, straightened when she saw his eyes on her. She tried to give him a small smile meaning “it’s okay, they don’t know,” but she was afraid it wouldn’t come across like that. Merlin, however, seemed to know what she was trying to say but continued leaning back, trying not to be in this conversation too much. He knew when to hide, when to flee, and this seemed like one of those moments. He told himself to be strong, and that Morgana, Gwaine, and Gwen wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him. 

“We honestly cannot know for sure what happened until I find a way to bring him back to his rightful age,” Gaius explained, “I’m hoping there is an easy solution to this.” He was missing their old Merlin as well going by the sadden look on his face. 

Gwaine wanted to change the subject, honestly just bored at this point: “Who is on first kid watch today?” He was looking around the room when he said, “I vote myself,” at the same time Morgana, Gwen, Arthur, and Lancelot said, “I’ll do it.” 

Merlin giggled. They all blushed at the unison. Merlin lifted himself off the ground and went towards Arthur, bringing Lancelot along by pulling his hand. “I want Morgana, Gwen, and Gwaine to rest. I feel bad because I kept them up last night, and I don’t want to tire them out too badly.” Morgana was about to protest when a huge yawn gave away her exhaustion, so she sighed, “Merlin, are you sure? I can stay with you if you want.” 

Merlin left Lancelot’s side to go to Morgana, and he pulled down her hand wanting to give her a tight hug. “I’ll be okay Morgana, if you trust them, then I trust them,” he said softly in her ear. Morgana hugged him tighter, “I do. Just be careful, okay? Come to me immediately if anything happens, you understand?” Merlin nodded at her and pulled away smiling, “Of course ‘Gana.”

Gwaine was about to say loudly that he wasn’t tired as well, rubbing his eyes in clear disagreement to that statement, but Gwen pulled his arm slightly and nodded her head slightly back in ‘no,’ indicating for him to be quiet. He huffed but backed down, slouching against Morgana’s bed.

“Lancelot, Arthur, do you mind hanging out with him for a few hours? We could use some more sleep,” Gwen asked, concerned. 

Lancelot was already grinning at Merlin, “I don’t mind at all.”

“We’ll take care of him,” Arthur answered, biting a smile back at his excitement to learn more about kid Merlin, “I already cleared my schedule for today."

Merlin, shifting back and forth on his feet, decided to take Arthur’s hand as well. Arthur looked shocked and then smiled at the easy affection Merlin showed, but quickly hid his emotions--didn’t want the others to get used to him being so sappy, of course. 

Holding both Lancelot’s and Arthur’s hands now, Merlin walked towards the exit of Morgana’s room. “So, what do you guys do for fun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wooo i hoped you enjoyed!!
> 
> (also,, i know literally no 7 year olds so im trying my best lmfaoo, but if he seems older lets say its because he was forced to grow up fast..hopefully its okay, i did do a little research but hey, i just wanna write what i want)
> 
> more fun times with lil merlin tomorrow (hopefully)
> 
> morgana doesn't know that lance knows btw but we find that out later
> 
> if you couldn't tell, i favor gwaine and lance a lot lmfao oops ill try next time to include the others more, but i just really love their relationship with merlin so much :')
> 
> let me know if you have any suggestions or questions or thoughts, id love to hear them. 
> 
> again, you guys rock. thank you for reading.


	6. reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lance, arthur, and merlin go on a picnic

Lancelot was nervous. He knew Merlin had magic, _was_ magic, as Merlin himself had explained to him, so kid Merlin had to be bursting with power out the seams..right? He changed out of his night clothes, kicked himself out of his musing, and returned to Arthur and Merlin.

When he caught up to them, Lance looked at kid Merlin, currently dragging Arthur around the marketplace like a dog on a leash, who was beaming so much that the sun almost had competition. Going to the market first thing in the morning had been Lance’s idea, figuring it was a good way to tire the kid out, at least a little. Arthur looked so happy with Merlin that Lance had to smile, _it’s nice to see Arthur look so carefree for once_.

“Do you have horses or dogs or any pets?” Merlin said, running after Arthur (who was trying to sit for a small rest next to Lancelot).

“I do.” Arthur was looking at his nails, feigning boredom. 

Merlin fixed his gaze on Arthur, “You do? Can I meet them? I love animals.”

Merlin was probably going to talk more, and fast, if Arthur didn’t give up so easily with his smile at Merlin and head nod.

Merlin was jumping up and down in excitement and took Arthur’s hand again, smiling to Lancelot, “You wanna come with us Lance? Do you like animals?”

“Of course,” Lancelot chuckled.

Merlin, smiling so wide it looked painful, asked Arthur to lead the way.

They had to stop every few feet when something caught Merlin’s eye, Arthur giving a few coins along the way too for Merlin to buy whatever he wanted, but they eventually made it to the stables right before mid-day.

Merlin stopped short. “They are all yours?” 

There were a couple of horses in these stables that stayed near the castle for Arthur’s close group of knights and himself and a few hunting dogs that adult Merlin loved so much that Arthur asked to keep them here too (not that Merlin knew that).

“Yes. They are all mine,” Arthur looked at Merlin, hopeful, “do you like them?”

“Like them?” Merlin took a small step inside and laughed, loud and carefree, “I love them.”

Lance and Arthur watched Merlin go further inside after they told Merlin to be careful with the animals, as they will probably not like a strange child too much.

Apparently their warning wasn’t necessary. The animals loved him.

Merlin stepped right up to his pure white mare, who he named Honey when he was an adult since honey was used to help many of Gaius’s patients and believed it was fitting for such a sweet animal, and the horse responded kindly.

She nuzzled right up to Merlin, making soft and quiet neigh sounds in contentment. Arthur’s horse, who was a solid black stallion and named Kelpie, whined, wanting attention as well. Merlin eagerly obliged.

Arthur was stunned, _my horse hates everyone_ , he thought, extremely confused.

Next came his widely feared hunting dogs that enjoy no one's presence, who surrounded Merlin so they can be pet and loved by him. They were all licking, playing, and loving Merlin nonstop. 

“AH!” Merlin yelled, when one of the dogs jumped on him to get attention and knocked him down. Merlin started giggling, “Can I keep them all?”

Lance looked at Arthur, just as confused. He knew Merlin was good with their animals because he took care of them, but as a child, these animals had no idea who he was, right?

“OOO! Can we go on a ride today?” Merlin asked, wiping the stable hay off his pants with one hand and petting Honey with the other, “I want to ride her.”

“Uh, sure Merlin,” Arthur looked around for a stable boy to put the saddles on, “do you know how to ride?”

“No! But I’m sure I can figure it out,” Merlin smiled at Honey, who was nuzzling her head in his neck again.

Turns out, he could figure it out. Honey apparently loved Merlin so much that riding her was the easiest thing Merlin has ever done.

“Do you think my mother will visit soon? ‘Gana said that she was helping someone sick, which is why I am here, but I really miss her.”

“I’m not sure Merlin, your mother might need to stay a little longer than planned if more people get sick,” Arthur improvised, taking Morgana’s lie in stride.

Merlin’s smile fell and trotted back next to Arthur and Lancelot.

Lancelot, the sweetheart that he is, tried to make him feel better again: “We can go to this really pretty clearing with a nice lake, if you would like Merlin?”

Merlin smiled to him again, “That sounds amazing.”

Arthur had the stable boy collect some quick food from the kitchen as well, so when they got the clearing, he laid out the small picnic for them. 

“Hey Arthur,” Merlin said, staring off into the water’s horizon, “what do you do since you’re in charge? Do you like your job? Do you have a title?”

Merlin’s curiousness made Arthur chuckle a little, “I help run the kingdom, essentially.” Not wanting to tell him he is the king for some reason, that is all Arthur said. 

“That’s it? Do you like it?” Merlin repeated.

“Most of the time I do,” Arthur concluded. 

“I heard Lancelot calling you ‘sire,’ do you want me to say that too?” Merlin asked, with his head tilted in thoughtfulness. 

“No, it’s okay Merlin, you don’t need to, not ever.”

Merlin grinned at him, “good, I didn’t want to say it anyways.” 

Lance started laughing at that, but quickly stopped when he heard something. 

“What is it, Lancelot?” Arthur looked around, not seeing anything. 

“Sire, I think I hear something coming.”

Lancelot jumped up, following Arthur, taking out their weapons from their sides, “stay behind us Merlin.”

Merlin obeyed, scared that his magic was going to act up. It was better to be behind them if it did.

Ten people came out of the forest, walking towards them. 

The obvious leader, the girl in the front, sneered at them, “King Arthur, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“I would say the same thing, but you haven’t graced us with your name yet,” Arthur replied smoothly. 

“I’m Nara, and these are my people. We wanted to see how you were doing without your pet.” 

“Excuse me?” Arthur said, slowly backing Lance and Merlin away from the group towards their horses, “what are you talking about?”

“Merlin, my lord, who else?” 

Arthur stopped moving, “You did this to him?” 

Cal stepped forwards, surprised, “is he not dead?” 

Merlin heard his name, so he peaked between Arthur’s legs to see what was happening. When he did that, all eyes went to him. 

“Curious” “That must be him!” “You can still feel his power!” “What did you do, Calore?” 

The group was a mess, but Nara didn’t take her eyes off Merlin. _This is an interesting twist_ , she thought, _maybe we can just take him and kill him now since he is probably weaker in this form._

Arthur eyed the leader, weary of her staring, and tried to block Merlin more. She noticed and laughed at him, “You think you can hide him? Do you even know what he’s capable of? At least, before my brother turned him seven.”

Merlin was confused, _how do these people know me?_

“We will not fall for your tricks,” Lancelot proudly stated, “leave now and we won’t hurt you.”

Nara laughed again, “hurt us! That’s cute.”

She yelled a spell at them then, stopping Arthur and Lancelot from moving, and started walking towards them.

“I’m going to make your death painful, little king. Without your shield, you are nothing. The druids may believe in you two, but I don’t. Taking you out wasn’t part of my original plan, but I think I can make the exception.” 

Merlin was frozen in fear. Showing his magic, therefore saving Arthur and Lancelot, or do nothing? No. Doing nothing when someone needs help isn’t in his nature. He also feels this certain pull to Arthur, but it’s hard to describe. He has only been with the man for a few hours now, but there was something about him that Merlin couldn’t help but go towards. _My mother will be disappointed in me for doing this with my magic_ , Merlin thought, briefly thinking of their mantra even when he was about to do the exact opposite of not letting the magic out, _but Arthur and Lancelot getting hurt is not an option, especially not after them taking care of me._

Again, Merlin knew no spells, but he did understand control. He controlled his magic's impulses all the time, to the degree where he didn’t actually know his full potential because he kept his magic so tightly wound most of the time--even as a child. 

So he did the only thing he could do: he let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH cliffhanger, sorry about that lmfao
> 
> again, i have no knowledge of horse stuff (but i looked up a little), so i tried to keep it at a minimal. hopefully its okay!
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING!!
> 
> let me know any suggestions, thoughts, ideas, or feelings (if you want), id love to hear anything you have to say
> 
> ill be back tomorrow, like always! this schedule might hurt me eventually when school starts back up (which isn't for a little while) but ill try to maintain the chapter a day bc its been really fun to write and i wanna write more kid merlin with his magic out and about


	7. remarkable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> shit goes down

The sky immediately darkened and crackled with purple and white electricity, the wind picked up aggressively around them, the air thick with power. 

Merlin was the eye of the storm. 

Nara stopped, looking at the heavens, and whispered, “what are you doing?”

It went unheard.

Merlin walked between Lance and Arthur, eyes burning pure gold. Arthur gasped and started staggering away from him, while Lancelot maintained at his side. 

Merlin continued to walk right up to Nara and said quietly but heard by everyone in the clearing, “if you go now and promise never to hurt my friends again, then we will leave you unharmed. If you do come back, I will not try to protect you again.”

Nara blanched, “the King will never accept you, little one. You should come learn how to harness your power with us...instead of being terrified of dying for simply being alive.” She gained more confidence as the words started sinking in for Merlin, but she began backing up once the determined look replaced the quick doubt in his features.

“I believe in Arthur, and unlike you, he didn’t try to harm me or the people I care about. So thank you for the offer, but I’ll respectfully decline. I know where my place is, and it will always be at Arth..King Arthur’s side.”

He didn’t know where those words came from, but he had never felt anything more true in his life. It felt right coming off his tongue, almost like destiny pleaded with him to say it.

Nara’s group of Druids quickly bowed before him, with Nara reluctantly doing a brief one herself, and they scattered into the trees, whispering the soft words of ‘thank you Emrys.'

The wind died down, the clouds cleared up, and the darkness of the falling sun was casting an ethereal glow on Merlin.

“Arthur..” Lancelot started, turning around to face him, but Merlin quickly stopped him with a light touch to his arm and shake of his head, “Lance, thank you. I have this.”

“If you're sure,” Lance looked hesitant to leave, “I’ll be close by if you need me.”

Merlin squeezed his arm gently in thanks and watched Lance walk off a little ways ahead.

“How long?” came Arthur’s deliberate blank tone behind him. 

“How long what?” Merlin said, surprised, turning around to face him.

“How long have you been learning...it?” 

“Oh,” Merlin’s face immediately turned into bashfulness, “uh, I was born this way.”

“No. That’s impossible, and even if it was true, then you would have told me.”

“The adult me? I’ve gathered that’s what all of you mean by the ‘our’ or ‘my Merlin’ and by the way everyone’s faces fall when they see me like this,” Merlin said too observantly for a seven year old. 

“Yeah..yeah,” Arthur looked away, not wanting to see the kid Merlin currently is and not his Merlin. It was making it hard to be angry. 

“Arthur,” Merlin walked towards him, and touched his arm to make him look him in the eyes, “everything I said I truly believe. I definitely did not get that from a few hours with you, so it must simply be so etched into my very being if I still feel this loyalty.” 

“Loyalty isn’t the issue,” Arthur muttered, wanting to leave and figure this out for himself, “you, or the older you, lied to me. For years. You probably wouldn’t understand how I feel now, but I thought you trusted me. Why hide such a huge part of yourself?" The " _from me_ " went unsaid, but not unheard. "You didn’t believe in me enough apparently to show me who you truly are.” 

Arthur wiped his eyes, his tears unwillingly falling down his face. 

Merlin didn’t know how to help Arthur feel better—which was his only want right now. He wasn’t worried about his older self, as he already knows how much magic was a secret in his life. It was his entire life. He has been hiding who he was since he opened his eyes, that was it. Mother believes he is special, but he disagrees. When he used to do magic, the one thing he knew he was good at, his mother would scold: “Merlin! That’s not safe to do!” “Merlin, my beautiful boy, you must keep it a secret.” “Merlin, try to keep it under control, please.” “I love you so much. You need to be safe, for me.” 

It wasn’t safe for him anywhere, but next to Arthur? 

He felt like he truly was, even as a child. 

He still believes himself to be a monster. A monster that was made by the first breath he took, not created by his surroundings. Why give him talents that are feared, ignored, and punishable by death if he wasn’t supposed to be the villain of everyone’s stories?

He doesn’t want to be, he knows that much this young, so he tried for the opposite. Be kind, be polite, be positive. These are the values he lives by, always. Maybe he could change the fate that was given to him. 

He must’ve felt that way when he gets older too if he never told Arthur—which is disheartening, but apparently inevitable. 

“Arthur,” Merlin whispered, crying softly as well, “if he meant anything to you, you need to hear him, or me, out eventually. I can only show you my fears now, but I’m guessing they will be similar to your future Merlin. If I feel this pull to you this young, willing to break everything I was taught to do for you to be safe, then he must feel that tenfold.”

Arthur looked up, surprised at the wisdom Merlin had at seven years old. 

“What do you mean, show me? You can do that?”

“I’m not sure,” Merlin admitted, “but I can try, if you would let me.”

Arthur wants to believe that his best friend didn’t tell him about a huge part of his life because Merlin didn’t trust him. It was easier that way. He could get angry then, and it would be an acceptable emotion. But this? If he let himself believe that it was his own fault, and not because Merlin has an ingrained fear of himself and hurting the people he loved, then it would be easier. 

That’s the thing, though, nothing about Merlin was ever easy. He defied every expectation, every stereotype, every wall of defense to Arthur’s heart—watching why Merlin is the way he is, at such a young age, was the least Arthur could do. Arthur was lucky enough to be loved, protected ( _now our adventures make sense, I mean, how did I think we survived every time? Miracles? Random falling branches? Damn, I was truly oblivious_ ), and cared by Merlin. 

Arthur pressed his lips tightly together before answering, “okay.”

“Okay?” Merlin said, sounding smaller than he is. 

“Yeah, okay. I trust you.”

“Okay,” Merlin whispered, scared to show Arthur his childhood but truly wanting him to understand, to fix whatever he may have damaged for his older self—as much he can anyways, older him needs to let Arthur in, too. 

Lancelot had made camp for them already, so they walked side by side to go sit down on the bed rolls next to the fire. 

“Are you alright, Merlin?” Lancelot quietly asked. Merlin said nothing. He simply came up to Lance and hugged him tight.

“What is this for?” 

“You knew,” it was a statement, not a question, “thank you.” 

Lancelot had a sudden onslaught of tears, “Of course, Merlin. I’ll always be there for you. You are the hero in my story.”

Merlin gasped a little and looked Lancelot in the eyes, “truly?”

Lance vehemently nodded and said, “yes,” with no hesitation. 

Merlin gave him a small, but meaningful, smile and hugged him once more. 

“I’m going to show Arthur my memories, so you may hear some noises from both of us. I did this once with my mother, on accident of course, when she asked me what happened one day when I came back scratched up,” Merlin faintly smiled at the memory but sobered up fast, “but it’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“Lance, do you mind taking first watch?”

“Of course not, sire. I’ll be right here the whole time”

“Okay,” Arthur nodded at Merlin, “I’m ready kid.”

Merlin gave Lancelot a half hug, and then he sat in front of Arthur, “don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I know that,” Arthur answered honestly, and extremely fast, and he even surprised himself with how true that statement was. 

Merlin smiled sadly, “okay then, let’s do this.”

Merlin took his small hands on either side of Arthur’s face. He took one more deep breath to steady his emotions. 

Focusing solely on him, Merlin opened up his mind and let Arthur in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops another cliffhanger LOL i swear i dont mean it, it makes for good dramatic effect ofc
> 
> what did you guys think? i didn't want to repeat my other fic where merlin stops time esp bc nara did that, but i wanted dramatic. i hope this didn't disappoint!!
> 
> what about arthur's reaction?? i always thought the show didn't allow him to use more than three brain cells at a time, but i tried to make it like he was like the smart badass king he is--i mean,, he is hurting, like pretty bad, but merlin will help.
> 
> not gonna lie, i miss big merlin LOL my sassy, sweet king. he'll be back one day
> 
> okayokay im done, im sorry for rambling. THANK YOU ALL FOR THE COMMENTS AND FOR READING!! it makes me so happy when i see them, you guys are so sweet. thank you


	8. recollection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some memories and surprise guests!

_Hunith and Merlin are eating dinner. Merlin was laughing at something she said, then he was helping his mother clean up dinner. “Okay, say it with me Merlin,” Hunith started, Merlin joining, “‘breathe in, breathe out, don’t show the magic. No one can know, it’s safer that way.’” Hunith smiled sadly, “Okay, sweetheart, let’s get you to bed.” Merlin laid down in their cot, waiting for his mother to sing to him, “can you sing my favorite, momma?”_

_Hunith laughed a little, “anything for you, little one.”_

_She put his head on her lap, stroking his hair back soothingly, and started singing, “Little bird, little bird..”_

Right when she started singing, Arthur heard Merlin mumble, “That was my last memory, not the beginning.”

_The scene changed to the bright morning light, in early spring, where Hunith was yelling in pain. “Hunith!” Will’s mother came running in, “are you okay?”_

_“Yes,” she panted, “he’s coming, Caroline.”_

Arthur looked around to Merlin next to him, just as confused, “how come we can see this memory without you actually being in it?”

Merlin shrugged, “maybe we can see this because destiny wants to show us both?”

“You believe in destiny?” Arthur doesn't remember thinking of such things at seven.

Merlin looked back to his Mother, “don't you?”

_Caroline beamed, “can I help you? Would you like anything? I can deliver!” Hunith managed a brief smile--Caroline was the only one in town who would talk to her after Balinor left her bearing his child--and talked quietly, “Caroline, I would love if you helped me.” And you could tell that she meant it._

_After a few minutes of labor, Hunith was yelling once more saying that he’s coming. Caroline pulled the baby out, cut the cord, cleaned him up, and handed him to Hunith, “He’s beautiful Hunith. How did you know he was a boy?” “I just knew it,” she was smiling down at her child, who was only whimpering, when she realized she was bleeding too much. “Hunith, what’s wrong?” “Caroline, may I have a few minutes alone with him? Can you get us some water?” Caroline smiled, “of course.”_

_Hunith knew she didn’t have long left, but wanted to spend every last second with her baby boy. She knew Caroline would take good care of him._

_“My little Merlin, how beautiful you are. You are such a gift to me, and momma loves you so much. I wish I could stay with you, little one, but my destiny seems to not agree,” she was slowly rocking him, crying, “I know you have a wonderful future ahead of you, I hope you know how much you meant to me.”_

_A tear hit Merlin’s face, and he opened his eyes for the first time._

_Hunith gasped. His eyes were flaming such a pure, rare gold. He lifted his eyes to Hunith and put his little hand to her cheek. She felt herself heal completely, while Merlin’s eyes slowly turned back to reveal his beautiful blue._

_Hunith was crying even more now, she couldn’t help it. “My beautiful boy, what fate has unfairly done to you. You are going to do wonderful things one day, and I will keep you safe, my Merlin, no matter what.”_

Merlin gasped out of the connection. He was about to run his hand down his face when he realized he was still crying. 

Arthur didn’t look any better. 

Merlin wiped his face again, trying to look stronger than he felt at the moment. Lancelot came over, “are you hurt Merlin?”

“No, no,” came out his raspy voice, “I was just not expecting that.”

He looked over to Arthur, to find him already looking at him, “My mother told me that I saved her, but I always figured it was because I was just born. Not that.”

Arthur nodded at that but kept staring. Merlin’s first act in the world was healing his mother. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed. _Father was so wrong, and the proof is right in front of me_.

Merlin didn’t know what Arthur wanted him to say, so he was about to suggest to keep going with his memories when they all heard movement in the forest. 

Arthur jumped up, a little unsteady on his feet, with Lancelot hot on his heels, ready to fight.

They didn’t need to, since it was just Morgana, Gwaine, and Gwen. Merlin got up fast when Morgana slipped off her mare, and he ran to her. 

“Merlin! We were worried sick, you guys..” She couldn’t finish the sentence since Merlin hugged her so tight so fast. She returned it immediately, then noticed the tear streaks on his face, “Merlin. What happened? Are you alright? Did something happen?” The only thing he could do was nod, and he made a little flame appear in his hand, like what she did for him. Morgana, Gwen, and Gwaine gasped and threw him behind them, protecting him from Arthur.

Arthur was hurt. This is what they thought of him? He would resort to hurting a child for something they didn’t have a choice in? Lancelot answered for him, though, “wait, when did you guys find out?” Arthur realized then that they all knew before him, and wow, that hurt him even more.

“Lancelot? You knew too?” Gwaine was hurt! Merlin told Mr. Noble-stick-up-my-ass before him? He’ll have words for Merlin when he is older now.

“He didn’t tell me himself,” Lancelot said, glancing at Arthur, trying to show that Merlin didn’t personally choose him over Arthur, “I found when he enhanced my lance to kill the Griffin, I mean, the kid wasn’t too good at hiding it,” he finished sheepishly.

“The Griffin! Why didn’t you tell me?” Arthur asked, surprised.

“Because I’ve been around the world, sire, and I knew magic wasn’t to be hated like Uther believed. And because I know Merlin. He is kind, and loving, and I knew him to be good. I saw no need to tell his secrets, my lord.”

Merlin’s face was behind Morgana’s legs, but he peaked out to find everyone else looking at him with surprise once more. 

“We found out yesterday, if that helps,” Gwaine said, patting Lancelot on the back, “I adore the kid, so that’s why I said nothing.” Gwaine smiled at Arthur, “Princess, you’re taking this better than we thought.”

“Yeah, well, today is just full of surprises,” Arthur mumbled, walking back to camp.

Morgana knelt behind her and grabbed Merlin’s hand, “he didn’t hurt you, right?” She had to make sure where her brother was right now, and if she needed to get Merlin far away before Arthur would do something he regrets.

“No, ‘Gana,” Merlin gave her a small smile, “he won’t hurt me.” “Good.” She started pulling them towards the others, with Gwen on her other side giving her support with a smile at Morgana.

Once they got settled, all sitting in a circle, Gwen spoke first, “We were worried something bad had happened, but did not want to upset the council. We said we were going on a quick hunting trip for a few days, and that we were meeting you guys after a few hours. We left Leon in charge, sire.”

Arthur nodded his approval, looking at Merlin’s hand in Morgana’s. 

“How long have you known?” Arthur looked Morgana square in the eyes.

“Longer than Gwaine, but not longer than Lancelot, apparently,” Morgana said, staring right back. 

“He told you?” The hurt was displayed unwilling in his voice. 

“I was the only one he ever told.” Morgana didn't say it bragging, just simply telling the truth. _It’s time for the whole truth,_ Morgana thought, terrified. Merlin noticed her fear and sent some of his magic her way to calm her, she looked over at him with small tears in her eyes in appreciation. 

Arthur saw the exchange and softened a bit at the affection they can share so freely. _Adult Merlin and Morgana did that too,_ he realized but wasn’t sure how to feel. They acted the way siblings were supposed to act—when one of them wasn’t a King. He thinks he’s grateful that Morgana has a brother who she apparently trusts and loves, and could think of no one better for the position than his Merlin. 

“Arthur..” Morgana began, choking up a bit from fears, but she saw Merlin smile at her from the corner of her eyes, and that was all she needed. “Arthur..I have magic as well.”

Arthur blinked slowly then everything clicked. _Oh. That makes sense, huh. Of course. Merlin wanted to help her feel less alone, more comfortable in her own home since no one else could. How sadly beautiful._

“And Merlin told you about his own to help you?” Arthur guessed, not surprised anymore, of course Merlin has even less self-preservation than he originally thought. 

“Yes..?” Morgana looked skeptical, _why was he taking my magic so well?_

“Oh please, stop looking so surprised,” Arthur said, blushing a little now, “I figure if Merlin was born with it, then you definitely didn’t have a choice either.”

He paused for a moment, then said quieter, “I’m just glad you had someone to help you.”

Morgana’s tears came back, and she leaped across the circle to hug her brother. 

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to tell you,” Morgana sniffed into his shirt. 

Arthur made himself not cry, not with this audience now, but came extremely close: “Morgana, you are my sister and I love you dearly. I wish you were never afraid to be yourself in my kingdom in the first place.”

Morgana smiled at him, her first real smile in awhile in front of him, and went back to hug Merlin once more. 

“He, well, Adult Merlin, is teaching me how to control my magic, he gave me a bracelet to help control my visions and nightmares, and he is always supporting me. He showed me his magic to help me not feel like a monster in my own skin, like I think he did for awhile,” Morgana finished sadly, holding Merlin’s hand again.

There was a small pause then, hurting on behalf of both of them. Arthur broke it. “Okay then, show me some good magic.”

Everyone whipped their heads at him. Arthur taking the magic well was enough of a surprise, but actively asking to see it? That’s something else.

“Okay…” Morgana started, but Merlin finished for her:

“What do you want to see?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello!
> 
> i hoped you guys enjoyed, as always :) 
> 
> OOO let me know what you want little merlin and company to do before he grows older again!! i have some adventures but i would love to hear what you guys want me to do with him lmfao 
> 
> OH and do you think will should be alive here? he had so much potential and i think he would love to fuck around with little merlin tbhh
> 
> thank you for reading, it means a lot. you guys are awesome


	9. roseate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> good times

Merlin had fallen asleep on Morgana’s lap, just like he used to do with his mother. Today exhausted him. He saved Arthur and Lancelot and then spent the next three hours creating new life around them—simply because of how much joy it brought him. Showing Arthur how magic brought Merlin so much joy was a good idea, as Morgana watched her brother’s stiffness at the use of magic fade away each time they showed him something beautiful with it. 

Arthur and Morgana were the only ones awake right now, both content in their own worlds. 

“When did you know you had magic?” 

“Oh,” she whispered back, surprised at the sudden question, “around the time we saved the druid. Merlin helped then.”

Arthur looked thoughtfully at her, “would you have told me if Merlin never did?”

“Hm, honestly, I have no idea..maybe if your stance on magic had changed, then I would like to believe that I would have told you.”

Arthur started star-gazing, thinking over the day’s events. “I’ll work on changing the law once we get back to Camelot, with Gaius, Geoffrey, older Merlin, and you, of course, if you want to.”

“Of course, Arthur. I would love to help,” Morgana replied and truly meant it. Talking with her brother about magic seemed surreal and too good to be true, but it was making her so content. She soon joined in on the star-gazing. “Where will we go tomorrow?”

Arthur replied, still looking up, “I was thinking of going to Ealdor. I think it would make Merlin happy to see Will and his mother again.”

Morgana looked at Arthur's profile, “You really miss him, huh?”

Arthur mumbled, “I didn’t say anything,” but he didn't deny it. _Of course I miss my Merlin,_ he thought sadly. 

“Hmmmhmm,” she said, not believing his bullshit, “anyways, I think it’s a brilliant idea. I miss Hunith anyways.”

Arthur smiled at her, “good night, Morgana.”

She smiled right back, “good night, brother.”

Merlin was still asleep by the time everyone packed up, ready to head out. Yesterday really did a number to his body. The whole group unanimously decided to just pick him up and place him with someone else until he woke up--the longest argument was about who was going to hold him.

Gwen won in the end--she could be ruthless when she wanted something, so Morgana gave in and everyone quickly followed suit.

Their ride was pleasant, uneventful for once, but no one dared to talk during the silence lest they woke Merlin up. He did wake up around mid-day when absolutely no one was expecting it.

He yawned, “So, where are we going?” Gwaine stopped abruptly, falling off his horse with a continuous stream of curses, but Morgana slowed his fall so he wouldn’t hurt himself too badly. “MERLIN! Don’t scare a man like that!” Gwaine said, blushing in both anger and embarrassment. Merlin quietly laughed. 

“Well, now that you finally joined the land of the living, _Mer_ lin, where we are going is actually a surprise for you,” Arthur announced in his kingly voice, “we were hoping to make it there before you woke up.”

“Oh cool! I love surprises. One time Will surprised me, though, and I turned his hair blue and couldn’t figure out how to fix it,” Merlin laughed.

Morgana laughed at that too, wishing she could turn Arthur’s hair a different color, but he beat her to it: “Morgana, if you touch my hair, I will send you to our horrible cousins down south.” Morgana tried to bite back her laughter at the threat, but couldn’t contain it for long, “yeah, right. Like you could run the kingdom without me for a day,” she rolled her eyes.

The rest of the group chuckled at Arthur’s stammering. Eventually the whole group simmered down, and Merlin’s stomach growled, loudly. Gwen offered everyone a few snacks that they packed, wanting to keep traveling to get to Ealdor by the end of the day. 

The day continued without any mishaps, which was a nice break from their normal. When they reached the hill right before Ealdor, Merlin gasped. “We’re going home?” Happy tears leaked out while he made his mare go faster--ahead of everyone. 

Arthur and Morgana smiled at each other, quickly galloping after him. It was just about dusk when they arrived. Merlin had already tied Honey outside his home, and he was knocking on the door. The villagers came out to see who was making the commotion, but when they saw Arthur, they simply nodded their heads in understanding and went back in--except for one. 

Hunith opened the door, surprised at having a visitor so late, but when she saw Merlin, she gasped. “Merlin?” She asked dumbstruck. “Hi momma,” Merlin said, now unsure if she will want him now that he is a kid again. He offered: “something happened?” Hunith laughed a little wetly from the sudden onset of tears, “I can see that, my boy. Come here.” Merlin ran into her arms, crying too. Hunith looked up from the hug when she saw Arthur, Morgana, and Gwen in her peripheral vision.

“OH!” She stood up, bringing Merlin with her, putting him on her hip, “Your Majesty.” She bowed the best she could with Merlin, and Merlin giggled. “No need Hunith, you know you are like family,” he smiled at her. Hunith returned it, “So, is someone going to tell me why my son is seven summers old again?”

Gwaine came barging into view, with Lancelot right behind him who was out of breath from chasing Gwaine down. “Merlin’s mom!” Gwaine cheerfully yelled and hugged her like they knew each other for decades. 

Hunith laughed, hugging Gwaine and still holding Merlin who was hugging Gwaine too, “you must be Gwaine? Merlin has written a lot about you.”

“All good things I’m guessing?” Gwaine smirked.

“Most of the time,” she said ominously, earning a laugh from Arthur and a fake outraged look on Gwaine’s face.

“Lancelot, on the other hand, I have heard ONLY good things about,” Hunith said, making everyone laugh. 

“Hunith. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Lancelot said, gently kissing her hand like a gentleman.

“Lancelot. The pleasure is all mine. You kept my boy safe for years, that is something a mother can never forget.”

Lancelot blushed at the praise, smiling at her, "Merlin is worth the trouble." Heads nodded all around in agreement. 

“And, you too, Morgana, Arthur, Gwaine, and the lovely Gwen. You guys are so dear to me, thank you.” They all choked up a bit, unbelieving that Merlin wrote such kind things about them.

“Mother! You’re making them all cry,” Merlin pouted. 

“I’m sorry, dear,” she said, smoothing out his hair.

“What’s happening here?” A voice from behind startled everyone, and everyone faced it.

“Merlin?” Will stepped closer to him, “what happened?”

“It’s a long story,” Arthur started, but Merlin interrupted, “you look familiar. What’s your name?”

Will looked sadden for a moment, but quickly answered, “I’m Will, you know, your bes…” He didn’t get to finish since Merlin jumped down his mother’s arms and jumped up into Will’s. “Will! You look so old!” Merlin laughed as he hugged him. Will, with wide eyes, hugged him back, “you remember me then? How old are you?”

“I’m seven summers! We met, for me, about a year ago, remember how?” Merlin smiled at him, taking this age regression extremely well.

“How can I forget?” Will beamed at little Merlin, memories flooding back. 

“Come on, come on, we can talk all about it over dinner. Merlin, would you get me some firewood?” Hunith asked, but really demanded, and Merlin answered with a flash of his golden eyes. 

Hunith immediately took Merlin away from Will, both of them going into a protective stance in front of the King and his companions.

“Hunith, it’s okay,” Morgana stepped forwards with Lancelot, both their hands out like managing a wild animal, “they know already. Kid Merlin here barely lasted a full day without shoving the magic up their noses,” Morgana tried to lighten the suddenly dark atmosphere.

“It’s okay momma, they do know. I trust them.”

Hunith started crying, and Merlin hugged her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it from showing,” Merlin whispered to her.

Hunith hugged him tighter, “It’s okay, my beautiful boy, I’m just so happy you have people who love you this much.” She said that loud enough that everyone heard.

No one’s eyes were dry when they parted. Wanting to lighten the mood for everyone, Hunith said, “Merlin, next time you scare me like that, you do all your chores without magic, understood?" 

“Yes, momma,” Merlin sighed.

“Okay! Let’s make dinner, I’m starving,” Gwaine said, happily going into Hunith’s home.

Hunith laughed and followed, “Let’s go make dinner.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this is not my best chapter but it is some fluffy happiness we all deserve
> 
> it's also not quite as long as my other chapters, about 100 words or so less, so i'm sorry for that too :(
> 
> BUT i hope you enjoyed! some more fluff comin tomorrow
> 
> lmk what youre thinking (only if you want to of course)! I love hearing from you guys. 
> 
> as always, you guys are amazing. thank you


	10. rapport

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> family dinner :,)

After dinner was made, everyone sat at the table now happy that Morgana made it bigger with her magic. She didn’t want to at first, but at Arthur’s accepting nod, she performed the feat. Merlin sat next to Morgana (with Gwen on her other side) and his mother, with Lancelot, Arthur, Will, and Gwaine on the other. 

“Okay! Tell us how you two met then. I need to know how my best friend made his first best friend—for personal reasons of course, not that I want to one-up your first interaction with Merlin with my own...which I probably will anyways,” Gwaine mumbled the last part, which earned a laugh from Will.

“I think I’d like you,” Will said approvingly, Gwaine smirked back. 

“Merlin, you probably remember it more clearly than I do since it was much more recent, would you do the honor?” Will smiled at little Merlin, who became excited with the spotlight. 

He, enthusiastic at the idea of using more magic, asked, “can I do the picture memory, momma? Since everyone already knows about the magic?”

“Yes, but be more careful this time! Remember what happened last time when your show got out of hand and burned our wood for the fire-pit for the week?”

Merlin nodded seriously at her, and then closed his eyes. 

Arthur was perplexed, “what is he doing?” 

If Arthur was being honest, he wasn’t expecting Merlin to be using magic left and right all the time—almost like it was a second nature. He knew Merlin said it was as easy as breathing, but he thought he was over exaggerating. Apparently not. He wondered again just how Merlin managed to hide such a big part of himself for so long—Arthur doesn’t think he would have be able to if he was in Merlin’s place. It was exciting, actually. Merlin always looks so at peace when using magic, even when he was threatening those druids that almost killed them, and Merlin’s happiness always makes Arthur happy, too. 

Hunith answered, “Merlin liked to show his memories, in picture form, using magic. It was truly beautiful when he did it as a child. He stopped showing me his memories when he was around nine, though, so I haven’t seen him do it in a long time. I always wondered why he stopped,” she paused, thoughtful, “but he used to manifest his memory as these amazing flame images for me to understand what he was saying and thinking.”

Wide eyed, Morgana whispered, “he did what? That sounds incredible. I wonder why he never showed me?”

Hunith shrugged, “he might have forgotten that he used to do it.”

All conversation died the minute Merlin projected. It was astonishing.

Little, powerful flame-like images danced before them, all swirling around forming a memory of his. It almost looked like the flames were slowly dancing around, encouraging each other to form what Merlin wished. 

Gwaine lowly whistled, “this is something I don’t see everyday,” watching the flames in front of them.

_Merlin was out by the trees, like usual, when a few older kids from the village stumbled across him._

_One of the kids sneered, “are you the odd bastard?”_

_Merlin looked up, surprised at the sudden company, “bastard? What does that mean?”_

_The older kid picked him up by his shirt and pinned him against the tree, “it means, dumbass, that your father ran away and left you behind. Your mother has a bad reputation around the village because of it.”_

_Merlin only got mad once the kid insulted Hunith, and he went to throw a swing._

_He missed horribly._

_The group surrounding him laughed, “is that all you got? A freak like you…”_

_He didn’t get to finish the sentence as a younger, probably around seven summers old, Will came into frame and unceremoniously punched the kid right in the stomach._

_Will, panting, yelled “why don’t you guys run off before I tell your parents about how you guys let the farm animals loose on the village?”_

_The older kid looked affronted, “we did no such thing.”_

_Will played a mock surprise, “oh, then I guess I just let them out from your homes. Best run along and get them before your parents come back from the fields and find you gone—with the livestock.”_

_The older boy immediately let Merlin go, who plopped to the ground, and scampered off with the rest of the kids._

_“Hello! I’m Will, what’s your name, kid?”_

_“Merlin,” shaking his hand, “thank you for stopping them Will, I was scared I would do something I’m not allowed to do.”_

_“What would that be?” Will now inquired, interest piqued with this mysterious kid._

_“It’s a secret,” Merlin smirked, “but I’ll tell you one day, if you want to be friends?”_

_“Deal.”_

The scene drifted away. Will was beaming hard at Merlin, happy to have met such a brilliant person. Merlin smiled right back, reminiscing about the adventures they had during the first year of friendship. 

Everyone was awed. 

“That was beautiful Merlin,” Gwen breathed, looking at the remains of the flames. The rest nodded in agreement, left speechless by something they simply don’t understand yet.

After the flames disappeared, Arthur spoke up.

“When did you find out, Will?”

“Oh, a few years later...” he started, when Hunith interrupted with, “a few years?! I thought you found out right before Merlin went to Camelot?”

Will, now sheepishly continued, “yeah, uh, we may have told a little fib,” he chuckled nervously, “I believe I was ten, meaning Merlin here was nine, when he saved us when we both fell off a high tree.”

Hunith couldn’t believe it, but she decided to scold her son once he actually remembered this lie.

“I suppose him saving you guys would be worth telling his secret.”

Will grinned easily at her, “that’s what I said! I was so hyped when I found out. We would hang out in the woods and he would show me anything he could do with his magic.”

Merlin openly gaped at Will, “did I show you the trees?”

Will gave Merlin an affectionate smile, “of course. That was the first thing you showed me.”

Merlin flung himself at Will again, “I’m glad I was able to share everything with you Will. I hope you know how much you mean to me. Thank you for being my best friend.”

Will tried to hide his sudden tears, hugging Merlin back, “and I hope you know how much you mean to me Merlin. I wouldn’t be who I am today without you.”

After a few seconds, Merlin yawned and leaned back into his spot.

“Okay, come along now Merlin. Today was a trying day for us all,” Hunith picked him up and placed him on the cot.

Merlin, almost sleeping already, asked quietly, “will you sing to me momma?”

Hunith smiled down at him, “anything for you, my beautiful boy.”

In a soft melody, she started singing, “little bird, little bird…”

Everyone looked on them with adoration, even Arthur couldn’t help it. Hunith came back after Merlin passed out, still slightly humming their song. 

“That was amazing, Hunith, how did you ever manage to stop him?” Morgana inquired, surprised how much magic Merlin could do simply by wishing it into fruition. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Hunith smiled sadly at Merlin’s direction, “but, I am glad he had you Will.”

Will looked incredulous, “really?” 

“Of course! I sent him away when I found out you knew because I thought that would be the best plan for him. Staying here in this small town wasn’t the life he was meant to live, and you finding out honestly terrified me. But after seeing everyone,” she said, making a point by making eye contact with each one of Merlin’s friends, “treating him as my same beautiful boy, not hurting him for who he is, is something I never thought I’d see when Uther enacted his belief system in the world.” Hunith wiped away the stray tear that rolled down her cheek. 

Morgana and Gwen both went up and hugged her. Morgana spoke softly, “Hunith. Merlin is one of my best friends and I would do anything for him. You have nothing to worry about with him in Camelot.” 

One after the other, Arthur, Gwen, Lancelot, and Gwaine all said, “he has me too.” Will and Hunith were beaming at them, appreciation flowing from them. 

Will broke the heartfelt moment, “so, king, when are you going back?”

Arthur smiled at the blatant lack of respect, “I was thinking of leaving tomorrow actually. I have to get back to ruling my kingdom eventually and it will take two or three days to return.”

Will nodded, “good. I’m coming with.”

Arthur looked surprised and challenged him with, “why? Worried we aren’t enough to care for Merlin ourselves?”

Will, with his eyes twinkling in amusement, responded, “no disrespect, king. I miss my friend, so that’s simply the solution I could come up with. And, in all honesty, I’ve known Merlin longer, so if anyone can keep him safe, it's me.”

Gwaine and Morgana were about to argue about Will’s nonsense logic, clearly upset that he said that they couldn’t do better, but Hunith shushed them up before they could wake Merlin. 

“Okay, okay. Now that’s settled, I think everyone should get some rest. I’ll go retrieve some blankets. Find anywhere you would like to sleep, I’ll be back.”

And with that, Hunith walked away. Will shrugged at them, promising to be with them tomorrow when they go, and left to his own home to sleep in one last time. 

Arthur, exhaustion taking over quickly, went next to Merlin, not wanting to stray far from him. Morgana smiled at the sight, and Gwen and her took up the back space. Gwaine and Lancelot went towards the front of the home, bickering about which way they were going to sleep. 

Hunith came back in when everyone already fell asleep. She gently placed the blankets on everyone, lingering on Arthur and Merlin. She had a small smile on her face at the two of them, knowing now how lucky she was to have them in her life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY ITS BEEN A MINUTE !!
> 
> but im back lmfao hello!! i hope you all have been having a wonderful week. i wanted to thank you all for over 100 kudos, thats fucking amazing. thank you all, it means so much to me.
> 
> lmk if you have any thoughts or questions or ideas or simply want to say hello! (tumblr is @bellamyblakru as well if you wanted to drop by !)
> 
> i hope you enjoyed, i’ll hopefully be back soon lmfao


	11. rethink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> plan time!!

Merlin woke up before anyone, and quietly snuck outside. It was just about dawn, the sun coloring the world in bright hues of soft pinks and yellows.

This was Merlin’s favorite time of day. The world was silent except for the natural chirping of birds and buzzing of insects. The trees were already prepared for the long exposure of sunlight—just simply waiting for the sun to fully reach. Life all around him was peaceful.

Merlin didn’t stop his morning walks until he went to Camelot—where he longed for nature, but had a destiny to fulfill that took precedence (not that kid Merlin knew this).

Merlin kept walking deeper into the forest, towards his favorite tree. It was a bristlecone pine tree, the oldest living tree in these woods. This tree in particular was named Friend—given by a four year old Merlin the first time he stumbled onto it. Friend and Merlin knew each other entirely, the tree supported Merlin throughout his entire adolescence, while Merlin supported it by simply existing near it. Their magic mingled together, making both of them stronger from it. 

Merlin took a deep breath when he finally reached Friend, and simply took a moment to stare at the large pine. This tree helped him even before Will came into his life. The tree recognized Merlin’s magic and started softly singing Merlin’s favorite lullaby. 

Unknown to Merlin, Arthur woke up the minute he opened the door to leave. Curious, Arthur followed quickly, but silently, behind—surprised at the grace Merlin possessed so young. 

Arthur arrived a few minutes after Merlin. The latter was already sitting at the tree’s base encased in a glowing, pulsing golden light, with his eyes closed and his head leaning back. 

He was completely at peace. Arthur watched in amazement how every line in Merlin’s body relaxed at the natural magic around him. The longer Arthur watched, the more at peace Merlin became. Merlin was swaying slightly to music Arthur couldn’t, but wish he could, hear.

Arthur, unknowingly, took a step towards his unaware audience—he couldn’t help himself, Merlin’s magic was calling to him too. He stepped on a stick, however, and Merlin’s eyes shot open with his hands moving up.

Arthur quickly stammered out, “it’s..it’s okay! It’s just me, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Merlin slowly put his hands down. “Oh. Arthur, did you need me?” Merlin tilted his head, confused.

Arthur couldn’t help but smile at the mannerism—adult Merlin does the same thing. 

“No!” He coughed, trying to slow down his explanation, “I, uh, was following to see if you were in danger or something. But I was wrong, so I’ll leave now, if you want.” He turned to go.

Merlin, still oddly disoriented, said easily, “no, no. You can stay! You want to join me?”

Arthur blinked and turned around surprised, “join you? How?”

Merlin smirked and patted the ground next to him. Arthur, albeit hesitantly, went next to Merlin. 

Arthur looked at Merlin, “okay. What happens now?”

Merlin just smiled again and took Arthur’s hand.

Then he felt it.

Arthur started tearing up, and looked around him. Everything was heightened: the forest was greener, the birds louder, the sky brighter, the ground softer. He could even hear the tree’s soft melodic lullaby moving something calming inside him. 

He couldn’t stop the tears from escaping. He looked over at Merlin, who was already beaming at him.

“This is why I come out here when I can. This is the only place in my small world where I truly feel welcomed and safe. The magic in the tree is similar to the magic inside me, I think, so being out in nature is refreshing for me. It’s even exciting. I told my mother about it here, but I don’t think she really understands what this feels like—but now you do.”

Merlin finished with a small smile and leaned his head back on the tree and closed his eyes.

Arthur followed his lead. 

They stayed there, basking in the quiet, until they could see the sun overhead. They walked together, still quiet, until Arthur broke it.

“I’m sorry.”

Merlin looked startled, “huh? Why?”

Arthur, keeping his eyes forward, explained, “I’m sorry that you have to live your life afraid of everything and everyone. I’m sorry you had to go to the trees to make you feel less alone. And I’m sorry I wasn’t able to see how wrong I was about magic until you showed me. I knew, in my heart, that all magic wasn’t evil or bad, but I kept to my father’s laws. It was easier that way. I figured since magic kept trying to hurt me, I should keep it away. But I should have realized the only reason people attacked was because of how unjust my father’s law was to them. He caused so much pain and damage in the world, and I’ll fix it. I promise you,” here he stopped walking and looked Merlin in the eyes, “I’ll create a world where you will never have to be afraid or alone ever again.”

Merlin started tearing up, “that sounds like make believe,” he whispered.

“It’s not. I’d even change the world if I could if it meant you would smile more. Merlin, you can’t truly understand it right now, but I’d even give the crown up if it kept you safe.”

Merlin, who was still crying at the world he pictured, jumped into Arthur’s arms and hugged him tight. Arthur hugged him right back.

“You miss your Merlin, huh?” 

“Yeah, kid,” Arthur said sadly, “I truly do.”

“I think I have a solution, but you may not like it,” Merlin finished sheepishly.

Arthur put him down, “oh yeah? What’s your solution?”

“How about we call a dragon?”

Arthur laughed and started walking again, “a dragon? Merlin, you never met a dragon. Also,” he added thoughtfully, “I think I killed the last one. How would we even get a dragon, hypothetically, to help us anyway?”

Merlin looked towards the sky and then towards Arthur, shrugging. “I don’t know, I just have this feeling.”

Arthur cocked an eyebrow at him and deadpanned, “a feeling? I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.”

Merlin smiled brightly at him and started skipping to his house that was now in sight.

Hunith saw them first.

“Merlin! Arthur! I’m glad you guys are alright, I figured Merlin went out for his morning walk. I had to convince the rest of your friends to keep their weapons away and to start packing as I knew you two were okay. Morgana was the toughest to convince.”

Merlin laughed a little and hugged her, “I’ll miss you mother.” 

Hunith picked him up, “I’ll miss you even more my beautiful boy. I’ll come visit you soon, I promise,” she poked him on the nose.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? Like Will?” Merlin asked hopefully.

Hunith smiled sadly. “No, little one, I’m sorry. I have to help Caroline with her garden with Will gone, but I will come as soon as I can.”

Merlin nodded in understanding, tearing up a bit, “I love you momma.”

“I love you too Merlin, you be good, okay?”

Merlin nodded into her shoulder, while Hunith tried to stop the tears from escaping. 

Arthur coughed a little uncomfortably and Hunith grabbed him into the crushing hug.

“You take care of yourself too, Arthur.”

Arthur smiled, “of course Hunith.”

Gwaine came in fast on his stallion, eating an apple loudly, “Princess, we have food packed and our horses ready to go.”

Arthur grabbed Merlin from Hunith, “thank you for your hospitality, Hunith. I’ll make sure Merlin writes to you when he is older.”

Hunith laughed, “I’m sure he will. My boy writes to me every week.”

They walked away after saying a second goodbye. Will and Lance were holding Honey and Kelpie, who both wanted Merlin’s attention. Merlin patted them both, promising more later, when Arthur put him on his mare. 

They strode off, towards Camelot, and were ten minutes into the ride when Merlin suggested the dragon again.

Arthur was about to repeat himself when Lancelot said, “Merlin! That’s genius. Kilgharrah could probably help!”

Arthur, Gwiane, Will, and Gwen all looked dumbfounded. Morgana laughed at their confusion, “what? Did you guys not know that Merlin is also the last dragonlord and kept the dragon alive?”

Merlin was surprised as well, “I am?” He said, at the same time Will said, “he is?”

Morgana answered happily, “of course! That’s how you know about his existence right now. You can probably feel the pull to him, especially if he is looking for you since he can probably feel something wrong.”

Arthur gaped at her, “how do you know all of this?”

Morgana smirked, “Merlin and I had a long, painful week with Kilgharrah where he tried to convince Merlin that I was doomed to be evil while I was sitting right next to him. That conversation still gives me headaches, but we came to a compromise at the end.”

Gwaine chuckled, “Gods, I’ve missed so much. So, a dragon you say? Where do we meet it?”

Merlin looked towards the sky again, feeling the thread of connection and yelled, “O drakon, e male so ftengometta tesd'hup'anankes!”

Arthur, Will, Gwaine, and Gwen jumped at the power of his voice.

Lancelot, who couldn’t help but join Morgana in laughing at them, added helpfully, “don’t worry guys, you get used to it.”

Arthur scowled at him, while Gwaine, Will, and Gwen seemed amused.

Merlin looked forward, “he’ll be in a clearing near us soon, I can feel him.”

Arthur looked skeptical, but Will spoke first.

”Alright. Let’s go meet a dragon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woopwhoop i think we are almost done my friends!!!
> 
> this has been such a fun thing to work on for me, and for everyone who has been reading along: thank you so much. you guys mean so much to me. 
> 
> i hope this chapter is alright! i lost power and wifi and everything for like three days and couldn’t post, but im back again with another chapter of our lovely characters.
> 
> i cant wait for adult merlin tbh merthur is what’s been driving this for me and im so excited to get there


	12. rapt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dundundun dragon time

Around midday, they arrived at the clearing. Arthur was on edge, remembering how many innocent lives this dragon took. 

“The dragon, _Kilgharrah,_ _”_ he announced slowly, “attacked Camelot to get back at what father did to him and his kind.” It was more of a statement than a question, but his voice still raised at the end. Arthur knew that the Dragonlords get their power when their father dies, which he will have to ask Merlin about when he is back, but he never gave much thought to the dragon’s perspective.

Morgana nodded solemnly, “Uther had him chained underneath Camelot as his trophy for two decades—not that is a justification for the horrors he committed, but that was his mindset. He wouldn’t have stopped if Merlin didn’t command him to. Merlin didn’t want to kill him since he was last of his kind, so he sent him away under the command of never hurting another innocent again.” 

Arthur understood that, as it sounds extremely like Merlin to let the dragon live as he usually cried over dead animals he finds in the woods, but the question of who let Kilgharrah out came into the forefront of his mind. Not particularly wanting to hear that story just yet, Arthur tied his horse up with the rest and sat next to Merlin.

Merlin was staring up at the sky. “He is almost here. I’ve always wanted to meet a dragon. I used to draw these two dragons when I was even younger” he said, smiling slightly.

Morgana turned her head towards Merlin, surprised, “you drew two dragons? Did you name them?” 

Arthur was about to say how dumb of a question that was when everyone turned towards the loud noise coming from above.

Merlin jumped up, vibrating in excitement. Honestly, Gwaine and Will looked just as excited as Merlin. Lancelot, amused at their similarities, shook his head at them. Gwen went closer to Morgana and held her hand tight, with Morgana pushing Gwen slightly behind her as well. Arthur remained next to Merlin, sword drawn, ready to attack if this creature hurts Merlin in any way.

Merlin glanced at him, “Arthur, he’s not going to hurt me.”

Arthur nodded stiffly, “yeah, well, we can never be too safe.”

Merlin opened his mouth to say something else, but just then Kilgharrah arrived—rather dramatically, if you asked Arthur.

Kilgharrah faced towards Merlin, saw Arthur going stoic at his side, and started laughing.

His laughter boomed across the forest, shaking the ground they walked on. Arthur, paranoid that something bad was happening, threw Merlin behind him—Morgana doing the same to Gwen, and Lancelot and Gwaine doing the same to Will.

Merlin frowned at Arthur’s back, still listening to the dragon’s laughter, and moved around to face everyone. “Guys, it’s okay! He’s just laughing,” he said with a smile.

Gwaine opened his mouth a couple of times before he squeaked out, “laughing? YOU CALL THAT LAUGHING?”

Merlin laughed then, along with Lancelot and Morgana. He turned back around to Kilgharrah who just started to settle down again.

“Young Warlock,” the dragon smirked (at least, Arthur thought that was a smirk, it’s very hard to tell by looking at the large reptile), “what has happened to you?”

Merlin giggled, “I’m apparently the wrong age! Woah,” he said, distractedly, “can I feel your wings? They are incredible.” 

He had such a look of awe on his face that Kilgharrah softened a bit, “of course little one, you are my Dragonlord, who am I to deny such curiosity?” 

Merlin ran up to him and felt the cold scales, “this is amazing” he mumbled. 

Kilgharrah smiled at him, then he turned his attention towards Merlin’s entourage.

“Hello, Once and Future King,” and he bowed his head a little towards Arthur.

Arthur, raising his chin a little, spoke with a strong, false, bravado, “Merlin calls me that every now and again, what does that mean?” 

Morgana was about to speak up, but Kilgharrah threw his gaze to her which stopped her dead.

“Kilgharrah,” she said, bowing her head, “I’m not evil yet, that must stand for something?” 

Kilgharrah looked at her coolly, “I suppose Merlin might have been right about you.”

Morgana beamed at the almost compliment while Arthur bristled at them for ignoring his question. 

The dragon looked at the rest next, “Lancelot. Gwaine. Gwen. Will. Merlin has told me many great stories,” he said with a small smile. 

Will looked green but shook his head in thanks, while Lance, Gwaine, and Gwen all seemed to be extremely grateful that they are important enough to Merlin to be talked about in such high appreciation. 

Arthur spoke next, “I know about Merlin’s magic.” He didn’t understand why he just spat that out, but it felt nice to get it off his chest if he was being honest. 

Kilgharrah rose a little, hiding Merlin more underneath his wing, “ah yes, Young King, and how did you react to such news?” The dragon narrowed his eyes at him, considering how fast he can get Merlin away.

Arthur scoffed, “why does everyone believe I’m the bad guy here? I understand why he hid it..honestly, I do. I’m hurt he had to lie to me for years. I’m upset that he has been terrified of losing his life since he opened his eyes in the world. And I’m pissed that my father chose genocide instead of facing his own guilt.”

Kilgharrah looked at him coldly, “I see Merlin was right about you too,” but that was all he said and turned towards the child—who was still in amazement at the large dragon.

“Merlin, come forwards,” Kilgharrah said, pushing his head slightly out indicating the front of him.

Merlin didn’t hesitate and jumped to where he was told to go.

“Are you going to fix me?” Merlin asked hopefully.

Kilgharrah softened again under Merlin’s adorable nature, “yes little one, but coming back from a curse like this will not be entirely pleasant when you return to your normal age. All memories will feel fresh, all wounds will be reopened, and you will remember your time during this curse. Do you understand?”

Merlin gulped, nodding shakily, unsure if he could handle this pain as an adult.

Arthur stepped forwards, already understanding what kid Merlin was thinking, “Merlin,” they looked at each other, “I’ll be here the whole time—both for you now and for older you, and from what I have gathered, older you has so much strength within him that I guarantee that he will be alright. And, well, if he needs help, he has all of us right here to support him.”

Merlin gave a small, watery smile and took Arthur’s hand.

“Okay Kilgharrah,” he stood, chin up and back straight, “I’m ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO IM SO SORRY ITS BEEN SO LONG.
> 
> my excuse is that i ran out of motivation and i am sorry for taking so long🥺 thank you for anyone who is still here and sticking around to the end (which I believe might be next chapter omg). 
> 
> i truly appreciate you guys so much, thank you for being here and reading. 
> 
> if you want me to write something or just come say hello, im on tumblr as @bellamyblakru too!! 
> 
> ill try to come back quicker lmfao


	13. romance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the end?

Kilgharrah, feeling Merlin’s resolve strengthen steadily after Arthur grabbed his hand, nodded once and started to blow an iridescent mist over them.

Arthur stiffened when he saw the dragon’s mouth slightly open, but it wasn’t fire that came at them. It was something that felt otherworldly, something that made him feel light and beautiful and out of breath. Pure, unadulterated, ancient magic—akin to how Merlin’s magic felt to him. 

He could feel Merlin’s hand go back to normal, his presence at his side making Arthur feel like anything is possible. Merlin always made Arthur feel like that, and having him back to normal suddenly felt terrifying. How would Merlin feel now? All his past achievements and mistakes feeling like he just made them again? Losing Balinor, losing battles he was forced to go solo? Arthur couldn’t breath now, a worry panic filled his lungs.

Morgana walked up to him and grabbed his hand, “Arthur, breath in, breath out, focus on my voice.”

Arthur’s panicked eyes met her calm ones, and he started breathing in time with her—focusing solely on her breathing being aligned with his own.

After a few moments, he could finally think more clearly, just now terribly exhausted. He squeezed Morgana’s hand in appreciation, and didn’t let go when he turned towards Merlin again.

When Kilgharrah was finished, Merlin swayed on his feet. 

Arthur, without thinking too much about it, quickly gathered him up in his arms. Merlin’s head rolled, and he made eye contact with Will.

“Will? Did we make it down the tree?” He asked, groggy, and then passed out.

Will stepped towards him, forgetting his fear of the dragon in favor of making sure Merlin was okay, “what happened? Why did he ask that?” 

Kilgharrah answered calmly, “fret not. Merlin is regaining all his memories in the order they occurred, and the last thing he will remember was this curse and meeting me, but he is okay now, I can feel it. 

“It won't be easy, Young Pendragon. Merlin has been through much alone—both painful memories and happy ones. He will need you more than ever.”

Arthur nodded solemnly at him, “I promise I’ll look after him.”

Kilgharrah smiled, “good. Ask the young warlock to call me when all is settled, I actually miss our little chats as of recently.”

And with that, Kilgharrah took off—no one paid him much attention. 

Merlin was still unconscious, and Arthur cleared his voice at the sudden eerie quiet around them.

“Let’s set up camp here and get back to Camelot tomorrow, I want Gaius to check him over as quickly as possible.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, setting off to do the different tasks. Arthur laid Merlin down, and placed Merlin’s head on his lap, in front of the fire Lance just built.

Arthur was exhausted, “Gwaine, would you take first watch?”

Gwaine nodded, and threw Arthur both of their bed rolls.

He set them up diligently, keenly aware of everyone’s eyes on him. He laid Merlin down first and took up the spot next to him, sleep already begging to claim him. He let it. 

Arthur woke up to birds chirping, a fire crackling, and the smell of food in the air. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes in the most unkingy way, and he noticed everyone was still asleep except Merlin.

Merlin laughed softly at Arthur's bedhead, “good morning, sire.”

Arthur’s eyes widened, “Merlin! How are you feeling?”

Merlin crouched down next to the food he was cooking, “I’ve been better,” he gave a small smile. 

Arthur huffed out a laugh, “I would imagine.”

Merlin, still with that small smile, came over and sat next to Arthur.

“So, these past couple days have changed everything, huh?” Merlin asked, staring at the fire with an intensity Arthur only ever sees on rare occasions, his smile dropping.

“I would say so,” Arthur said hesitantly.

“Hmm,” Merlin replied quietly, “do you hate me, then?”

Arthur could barely hear the words, but he made them out nonetheless, “Merlin. Look at me.”

Merlin did so slowly, clearly unsure. 

“Why would you think I hate you? Hasn’t this trip taught you anything about me?”

Merlin looked away, unable to make eye contact for long, “still. I was a kid, Arthur. Now I’m not--”

Arthur smiled at that, “obviously.”

Merlin nudged him with his shoulder, “no, you dollophead, I mean now that I’m me again, you don’t have to pretend to be okay with who I am. You were scared to hurt the innocent kid I was, but what now? I am not innocent. I have killed people, Arthur. I’m no longer that kid. I had to grow up in a world where I felt everyone was out to hurt me, but that’s no excuse for lying to you for years. I can’t imagine the--”

Arthur shut him up with a quick kiss, and when Merlin didn’t immediately retaliate, Arthur started blushing and started moving away.

Merlin didn’t understand what had happened for a minute, if he was being honest. But, when he saw the uncertainty in Arthur’s eyes, Merlin wanted it gone with every single fiber of his being, and he crashed his lips back onto Arthur’s. 

Arthur smiled into the kiss, but pulled apart way too soon for either one of their liking's. 

Arthur quietly laughed at the disappointment on Merlin’s face, “Merlin. I’m going to say this once, and please never repeat it to anyone else as I do have a reputation to uphold.”

Merlin, still reeling from kissing Arthur, smiled and nodded, so Arthur continued: “I love **_you_**. Merlin of Ealdor, I love the way you laugh at your own jokes, I love the way your eyes sparkle when you tease me, I love how you treat everyone you encounter with so much empathy and sincerity. I love how your eyes remind me of a beautiful clear sky, _and_ how your eyes shine like molten gold. I love you, and nothing you did will ever change that, you know why?” 

Merlin, slowly crying, shook his head no.

“Because I know who you are, inside and out. You are a good person--probably the best that I know. What you have been through, what you had to do all those years alone, doesn’t define you. Why you did them defines you. So, of course, I’ll ask the question I already know the answer to.”

Softly, holding either side of Merlin’s face, wiping away the tears as they fall, he asked: “Why did you never tell me about your magic, Merlin?”

Merlin unsteadily took a breath, staring into the eyes he loved so much, and spoke quietly: “I didn’t want you to have to choose between your father and me. You had so much on your plate everyday, and I didn’t want to add to that. B-but the real reason was because I was terrified you would hate me and send me away. I didn’t think you would kill me anymore, but you hating me? How could life get worse? I’d rather die than not be at your side.”

He took another unsteady breath: “Arthur Pendragon, my magic, my life, my heart, and my soul are yours until the day I die. Everything I did, and everything I will continue to do, is for you and only you. I love you with my entire being.”

Arthur felt his heart flutter in his chest, “see,” Arthur said, still softly wiping away Merlin’s tears, “I knew it.”

Arthur pulled Merlin into a bone crushing hug, letting Merlin’s sobs absorb into his tunic.

“It’s okay, now, Merlin. I’ve got you. I love you so much, don’t ever forget that.”

Merlin suddenly pulled back and drew Arthur into another passionate kiss, needing every reminder that this king is here, and real, and is truly his.

“Arthur,” Merlin whispered close to his lips, “does this mean I’m no longer your servant?”

Arthur chuckled, “Merlin, this means you are now my equal in everything, as you have been since the beginning.” Arthur smiled at Merlin, “King Merlin Pendragon, sounds fitting, doesn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT CRYING. YOUR CRYING.
> 
> I LOVE THESE BOYS SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO STUCK AROUND WITH ME.
> 
> this was my first multi-chapter fic, and it has been so fucking incredible. you guys literally made my day with all the comments and support. you guys are my heroes, thank you xx
> 
> if you want me to write another story with these lovely idiots, or literally just want to come chat with me, come drop by on tumblr @bellamyblakru 
> 
> god, lmk what you guys thing :')) maybe ill do an epilogue one day, if you guys want, of course!!


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